[RKBA Democrat]

Ebay will continue to give them a run for their money. Because you will always have the tension between price and convenience. For groceries, I would argue that Amazon will eventually obtain the upper hand. But on other items that don’t need immediate delivery, price is an issue.

A fellow poster noted and I’ve noticed as well that more and more Chinese firms are marketing their wares directly on ebay. They’re completely going around the retail and distribution chain. Yeah, it might take a few weeks to get it shipped from China. But if you can get it for 50% less than you can anywhere else, do you care?

One last thing to note is the predictable rise of black and grey market websites where anything is sold and it’s effectively outside of governmental control. The most famous of these being silk road.

[colinhester]

Well said. If I need/want an item immediately then it’s Amazon, or if I can wait, then Ebay.

[chrisser]

A fellow poster noted and I’ve noticed as well that more and more Chinese firms are marketing their wares directly on ebay. They’re completely going around the retail and distribution chain. Yeah, it might take a few weeks to get it shipped from China. But if you can get it for 50% less than you can anywhere else, do you care?

I've noticed this too, and I've bought a few things - mostly electronic components or low value things. I'm pleasantly surprised sometimes how quickly they arrive - othertimes, not so much.

One thing I've noticed is there seem to be a lot of items where the Chinese firm has set up a U.S. seller (typically in LA or on the west coast). You can get the same parts from the same people for maybe 5-10% more, and it ships domestically.

[steve86]

Yeah, it might take a few weeks to get it shipped from China. But if you can get it for 50% less than you can anywhere else, do you care?

You do when it turns out to be defective and you're stuck with it.